Rural areas falling through the net

… pushing for ultrafast broadband

The internet is slow in these parts:

Calls for better internet coverage across rural areas – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Faster internet speeds planned for rural Devon – Vision Group for Sidmouth

And still it persists, as a latest study shows:

“The research shows that the demand for ultrafast broadband and streaming services is there in rural areas, so there is a huge opportunity for the altnets to fill this gap in the market and bring consumers in underserved areas of the countries the fibre and TV streaming bundles that are so successful everywhere in the country.”

Rural UK suffering from ‘streaming divide’ | total telecom

Meanwhile, MPs are pushing for more:

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Broadband and Digital Communication has launched a new inquiry, which will examine how reforms to the Electronic Communications Code (ECC) could help boost the deployment of “full fibre” broadband in rural and urban areas across the UK.

At present around 42% of homes and businesses across the UK can already access a gigabit-capable (1Gbps or 1000Mbps+) broadband ISP network, which is likely to reach over half of premises by the end of 2021 (c.60%) – thanks mostly to commercial FTTP deployments and DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades in urban areas.

The Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme aims to push this further and is focused upon expanding coverage across the final 20% of predominantly rural premises. The project aims to ensure that such speeds reach at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025 and aspires to get “as close to 100% as possible,” albeit depending upon how the industry responds (i.e. so far only £1.2bn has been released, but more will follow).

Cross-Party UK MPs Consult on ECC Changes to Boost Fibre Rollout – ISPreview UK

Call for Evidence: Improving connectivity for Very Hard to Reach premises – GOV.UK

We might have a saviour: